Boat



J. C. GREER.

BOAT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29. 1920.

Patentd Mar. 8, 1921.

FGLE.

My ff ATTOQN Y5 PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. GREER, OF HOUSTON, TEXAS.

BOAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 8, 19.3.1.

Application filed May 29, 1920. Serial No. 385,329.

1 "0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. Gianna, citizen of the United States,residing at Houston, in the county of Harris and State of Texas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Boats, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in a boat.

Line object of the invention. is to provide a best equipped with apropeller arranged to be manually driven, and having a rudder throughwhich the direction of the movement of the boat can be controlled by theoperator with ease. The boat is specially resigned for the use ofsportsmen in hunting and fishing and is arranged to be driven by thefeet and guided by the body movements of the driver.

l-Vith the above and other objects in view the invention has particularrelation to certain novel features of construction, operation, and use,an example of which is given in this specification and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 shows a longitudinal sectional view, and,

Fig. 2 shows a plan view.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings wherein like numerals ofreference designate similar parts in each of the figures, the numeral lrefers to the shell of the boat which is of any conventional form. Thisshell has a transverse seat 2, and pivoted to the rear of this seat is alever whose upper end. carries the back r st d. f'lecured in the bottomof the shell in front of the eat there is a casting 5 having theupstanding spaced bearings 6, 6 in which the trans- T is rotatablymounted and fats f the shaft are the foot 1 to the shaft 7 between itsre is the bevel gear wheel 9 in small pinion 10 which is fixed on of theshaft 11. This shaft 11 )earing in the casting 5, and its rea extendsthrough the stufling box 12, carriee by the rear end of the shell. Theprojecting rear end of the shaft 11 has the propeller l3 nxed thereonwhich is rotated e shaft 11. The boat may thus tnrougn th be propelledthrough the foot pedals 8, 8. The rear end of he shell has a casting 1dsecured thereto which has the vertically alined bearings 15, 15 in whichthe rudder shaft 16 rotates. This shaft has a forwardly projecting arm17, secured thereto and also carries the rudder l8.

Depending from the seat is hearing if) through which the rod 20 slides.The rear end of this rod is pivoted to the lower end of the lever 3, andsurrounding said rod and interposed between the bearing 19, and thelever there is a coil spring; 21.. The forward end of the rod 20 ispivoted to one arm of the bell crank 22, which pivoted to the casting 5,and the other arm of the bell crank is connected to a lateral arm 23which is fixed to the front end of the rudder-controlling rod the hollowshaft 11 and its rear end carries :1 depending arm :25 which isconnected to the arm 17 of the rudder shaft 16.

The operator, by leaning back against the rack rest 4L will. operate therudder tiirough he mechanism described in one direction but by leaningforwardly the back rest is released releasing the sprii'ig 21 whichoperates the rudder in the other direction.

The sportsma s hands will thus be free for fishing, hunting, or otherpurposes while propelling and guiding the boat.

W hat 1 claim is A boat, including a shell, a tubular propeller shaftworking through a stuffing box in the rear end of the shell, a propellerattached to the rear end of said shaft, foot pedals geared to said shafttln'ough which the shaft and propeller may be manually rotated, apivoted back rest, a rudder pivoted to the rear end of the shell, arudder controlling rod working through said. tubular shaft, an actuatingmechanism connected to said back rest and also to said rod through whichsaid rod partially rotated in one direction, through the manipulanon ofsaid back rest, a yieldable member normally tending to actuate saidmechanism to rotate s rod in the other direction, and an o 'ierativcconnection between said rod and rudder, through which the rudder isactuated as said rod is rotated.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN C. GREER.

l Vitnesses WM. A. CATHEY, LORENA FAHRENTHOLD.

This rod extends through

